


Choices

by TuppingLiberty



Series: Organa's Organics [21]
Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Farm/Ranch, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, and related fluff, horse back riding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-14
Updated: 2016-03-14
Packaged: 2018-05-26 14:29:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6243001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TuppingLiberty/pseuds/TuppingLiberty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Amelia's learning how to ride horses, and Meghan's got an interview at a local art school.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Choices

**Author's Note:**

> The summary has plot but really that cursory plot was just an excuse to have a bird's eye view of this family's daily lives again. Lol.

Finn was woken up by two things: the pounding of running footsteps up and down the hall, and a pissed-off Buli jumping directly onto his chest, causing him to groan. He sat straight up in bed, confused, and looked out into the hallway, where he saw a flash of Amelia as she ran by. “Amelia!” Finn may have shouted, his faculties weren’t quite with him yet to figure out voice modulation.  Beside him, Poe grumbled.

The pounding stopped. Amelia stood in the doorway. “Yes, Daddy?”

“What the heck are you doing?”

“It’s horse riding day!”

Finn finally looked over at the red numbers on the alarm clock. “It’s five in the morning, Amelia. Go back to bed.”

“But it’s kind of sort of starting to get sunny!”

Meghan appeared in the doorway behind Amelia, rubbing her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s horse riding day!” Amelia cried again, taking Meghan’s hands and bouncing up and down.

“It’s Saturday, Amelia,” her older sister complained, though she couldn’t help but smile at Amelia’s exuberance. “Saturdays are for sleeping in.” 

“Or,” Finn broke in, “staying quietly in your room until other people are ready to wake up.”

“But I did do that, Daddy. I woke up  _ ages _ ago and I read and colored and played with my stuffies…”

“Amelia Mae,” Poe grumbled, his face still half buried in pillow, “You can’t learn to ride without me, and  _ I’m _ not getting out of bed yet.  So either go back to sleep or find something quiet to do in your room. Please.” He softened the words with a smile at her. “Just give me a little longer, okay?”

“Okay, Daddy,” she said, smiling and turning around. Meghan gave them a short wave and headed back down the hall as well.

Finn fell back onto his pillow with a sigh. Poe’s arm crept around him, and he laid his head on Finn’s chest, sighing as well. Suddenly, Finn couldn’t help himself, and he burst out with a little giggle. Poe made a short inquiring noise, which vibrated against his chest. “I was just thinking that this is really all our fault, I mean, we did choose this.” Finn laughed again.

Poe’s hand, which had been resting on Finn's stomach, reached up to tweak one of his nipples instead. “Shut up, Finn.”

“Okay, okay.” He placed a kiss on Poe’s curls, hugged him tighter, and closed his eyes again.

At a much more decent hour, Finn was woken up again by Poe nuzzling his neck. “Well, good morning,” Finn sighed.

“How long do you think we have until Amelia uses her sixth sense to figure out I’m awake?” Poe said, pressing a kiss on Finn’s pulse point.

“Not long enough to do anything exciting, especially with the door open,” Finn pointed out regretfully.

Poe groaned, leaning back on an elbow to gaze down at Finn. He grinned. “God, I can’t resist you in the morning. You look so warm, so sexy, so mine.” He leaned in, captured Finn’s mouth and then they both heard the sound of feet in the hallway.

“Are you up, Daddy?”

Poe lifted his head and smiled ruefully down at Finn.  Finn mouthed, “Later,” and Poe turned away, getting up.  “Yeah, nugget, I’m up.  Who wants to learn how to ride a horse?”

“Me! Me! Me!” Finn heard their voices trail off to the girls’ bathroom and smiled. He swung his legs out of bed and got up, the warm feeling of Poe’s praise staying in his chest as he headed for the master bathroom.

They managed to get Amelia to sit down and eat breakfast, pointing out that she wouldn't get very far without protein. As she finished, Finn went and got something he'd had hidden at the top of the coat closet for months. He held it behind his back, returning to the dining table and saying, “Amelia, I've got a surprise for you before Daddy takes you out.”

Amelia's eyes lit up and she bounced in her chair. “I get to go horseback riding  _ and _ I get a surprise? I have the best daddies in the world!”

“No argument here.” Meghan's voice came from behind Finn. “And it’s an awesome surprise, give it to her already so we can take pictures.”

Finn pulled out his surprise with some flair. Amelia's eyes widened when she saw the replica of Poe's cowboy hat, just her size. For the first time all morning, she was rendered speechless. Finn placed it on her head, and Poe came out of the kitchen, his identical hat perched on his head, and Finn and Meghan burst out in laughter at the combined look of shock and pride on Poe's face. Finn held out a hand and Meghan slapped it, saying, “Nice one.”

“Thanks for the idea, Megs.” 

Poe smiled widely at them. “You two are dangerous together.” He swept Finn into a quick but thorough kiss, then grinned when Meghan tilted her cheek out and tapped it expectantly, and brushed his lips there too.

Amelia was finally getting over her shock. She ran to Poe and cried, “Me too, Daddy, me too!”

Poe laughed, picking her up and placing a kiss on her cheek as well, looking up when he heard the clicking sound of the camera app. Finn grinned back at him, his phone still raised. “That's one for the wall,” Poe said.

“Oh yeah,” Finn agreed, grinning.

“Okay nugget, are you ready?” He set Amelia down.

“I've been ready  _ forever _ Daddy.” She held up her hand and Poe took it.

“I'll clean up and meet you guys out there,” Finn said.

Meghan helped Finn gather the breakfast dishes, and he noticed for the first time that she was in her running gear. “Headed out for a run?”

Regular exercise had been a tool suggested by her therapist as a way to help control anxiety. At first, Meghan had been reluctant, but when Spring hit and she could run outdoors, she soon made it a habit. “Yeah, I'm nervous about tonight.”

Finn nodded, knowing she had to work it out herself. They were headed to the Open House of a local alternative high school with an art program. It would be ideal for Meghan, but she had to present a portfolio to be considered for acceptance, hence, the nerves. “Just be careful if you go on the roads, honey,” Finn said absently, used to giving this reminder.

“Yes,  _ Dad _ ,” Meghan said in the voice of the long-suffering teen, then caught herself and looked up at Finn with wide eyes. It was the first time she'd said it to his face.

Finn knew his mouth was agape, but he couldn't help himself. He felt his eyes water. “Uh, well, uh…” He struggled to think of something to say, wanting to hug her but arms hanging uselessly at his sides.

Meghan opened her arms, and Finn grabbed her in one of his big bear hugs, lifting her off the ground a bit. “I love you so much, Meghan.” He set her down, could see in her eyes that she was struggling with how to respond. “Will you join us after your run? Might take your mind off of this evening.”

She looked relieved that Finn didn't expect her to repeat the big words back at him. “Yeah, I'll come out.” She gave him a last quick hug and headed for the mudroom, sliding in earbuds. Finn took a shaky breath, then finished cleaning up from breakfast.

By the time Finn was spreading a blanket by the horse pasture, Poe had Amelia up on C3PO, one of the older and smaller horses on the farm, known for his patience and politeness with new riders. BB8 was nice, but a little too enthusiastic for amateurs. Poe had spent about 30 seconds trying to convince Finn to ride Threepio back in the first summer of their relationship before realizing that it was more than likely never going to happen.  Amelia’s cowboy hat had been set on one of the fence posts in favor of a riding helmet. Poe was still talking to Amelia about the equipment, showing her how he adjusted the stirrup height for her legs, helping her test the right pressure on the reins. It amused Finn that Amelia had the most intense look on her face, taking in every single word Poe said patiently, when she couldn’t sit still or quiet for twenty minutes at the dinner table.

Finn leaned back on the blanket, enjoying the cloudless blue June sky and that perfect green smell in the air. He’d brought a book with him, but just decided to close his eyes, listening to the sound of Poe’s low voice responding to Amelia’s questions, and bees buzzing somewhere nearby, and the wind blowing the leaves of an oak tree. He must have drifted off, because he snapped awake at Amelia’s excited, “Daddy, look!”

Finn sat up again, seeing that Poe had tethered Threepio’s lead to a post in the middle of the pasture, and Amelia was leading him around without Poe’s help, smile threatening to break her face. He clapped. “Nice work, sweet pea!” he called, and heard Meghan cheer Amelia from behind him. He turned in time to see Meghan sit down on the blanket and stretch out in the sun, catching her breath back after her run.  Finn fished around in the bag he’d brought out, and tossed the bottle of sunscreen at Meghan.

She groaned. “You’d think you of all people would understand that I want to get a little color.” She held out her arms and wrinkled her nose at them. “I’m practically translucent.”

Finn simply raised an eyebrow. “Cancer is no joke,” his voice harder than he meant it to be, and Meghan nodded, quietly picking up the bottle and beginning to apply the sunscreen.  He winced. “I’m sorry, it’s just-”

“It’s okay, your dad, I get it.”

They lapsed into quiet, Finn still feeling guilty. He chewed his lip as Meghan put her earbuds back in and lay out again. Finn looked away from her, trying to concentrate on Poe and Amelia and not berate himself in his head for raising his voice _at the girl who was fucking physically abused by her father just for trying to be herself, goddammit, Finn-_

“Dad,” Meghan said, placing a hand on his shoulder, breaking his panic cycle before it could really start. When he turned he saw that she’d sat up and removed the earbuds. “I can practically hear your guilt from over here. Stop it. I’m not going to fucking break just because you raise your voice when you’re trying to protect me.” Finn raised an eyebrow at her language, but remained silent. “You’re allowed to treat me like a teenager when I’m being a teenager.  You don’t- I know you’d never hit me, never put me down just because you could, you’re not him, you’re not  _ Sam, _ and I need you to stop worrying that I think you are. I know I’ve still got issues, but you said it yourself - I’m not broken, and you won’t break me by doing what dads are supposed to do.”

Finn ran a hand over his hair, then turned back to her, looking into her eyes. “I guess I have been harboring that fear. Sometimes I’m so afraid, so  _ freaking _ afraid,” emphasizing what he would prefer she’d say, “that I’m going to trigger you. And here you are, having me all figured out.”

She looked sheepish. “Well, actually, I brought it up at my last therapy appointment and she helped me figure out how to say it.”

He lifted a hand to the one she still had on his shoulder and squeezed. “Good, you had me worried we needed to be sending you to Harvard or something instead of high school there for a second.”

She giggled, then pulled out the sketchbook - a proper one - that Finn and Poe had bought her for her birthday. “You mind if I draw you? The sunlight on your skin is kind of fascinating me right now.”

Finn laughed. “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard anyone say something like that about my skin. But go ahead.  What do I need to do?”

“Just sit there, like you are right now. Watch Poe and Amelia.”

\------------------------

“And this is the new ceramics studio, we just upgraded this whole area last year, so we can offer more to students.”

Poe, Finn, and Meghan glanced around, Poe and Finn out of their element but Meghan looking incredibly fascinated. “I’ve never really done anything 3D before,” she told their guide.

“One of our goals in the Raven Point art program is to expose young artists to all sorts of media before they get too settled on one thing.”

Meghan nodded eagerly. “Yeah, I would love to try, I just haven’t had the chance.” She hugged her portfolio tightly to her chest.

“As you can see, we’re a small school; we closed our registration at little over two hundred kids last year.”

“How many kids did you have to turn away?” Poe asked, eyebrows furrowed.

“We do our best to try and accept all applicants, but yes, sometimes students do get turned away,” the guide said, not really answering the question. “Now, when’s your appointment with the art program committee?”

“Seven, which means we should probably head there, if you could show us?” Finn replied.

“Of course, right this way.”

The “art program committee” turned out to be the principal of the school and the head of the art department, which helped ease a little bit of everyone’s anxiety. The principal, a tall African-American woman with her hair pulled tight back in a bun, stood to shake their hands.  “Hello, I’m Ms. Johnson. And this is Mrs. Green, the coordinator of our art program.” She indicated the other woman, shorter and older than she was, with curly gray hair flying in many directions and a kind smile on her face. “Please, take a seat.”  They sat, Meghan flanked by Finn and Poe. The principal perused Meghan’s file quickly, as if reminding herself of the contents. She glanced up. “Meghan, Mr. Dameron, Mr. Smith, I know that you came to us because of Meghan’s interest in art, but you are aware that we are also a college prepatory school, correct?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Meghan answered before Finn or Poe could.

“Sometimes alternative schools get the unfortunate reputation for being the place to send kids who are flunking out of the regular schools, but Raven Point takes pride in sending over 80% of its students on to college with multiple college credits already under their belts.” She glanced down at the file again. “Your grades in middle school, Meghan, would not really indicate that you’re ready to work at that level.”

Meghan looked down at the portfolio she clutched in her lap, dejected. Finn narrowed his eyes at Ms. Johnson. “I know you’ll find a letter from Avery McDonald, explaining the circumstances around Meghan’s low grades and homeschooling, Ms. Johnson.”

Ms. Johnson flipped through the file, pausing to read something. “Hmm, yes.”

“And Meghan passed all of the grade level homeschooling tests, the scores of which I believe are also in there,” Poe pointed out.

“Yes, I see,” Ms. Johnson conceded. “This letter from Ms. McDonald is particularly glowing, Meghan.  Do you think you can do the work here?”

Meghan nodded. “Yes, Ms. Johnson, I really do.  I know I had some trouble in the past, but that was a different time, and a different me.” Her voice got a little smaller. “And I like it here, I like the size. Going to one of the big schools worries me, given, you know…”

Mrs. Green piped up for the first time. “Ms. Johnson likes to be protective of our academic reputation, but we do also have a reputation for inclusiveness.  You wouldn’t be our first transgender student, Meghan.” She quelled Ms. Johnson with a look. “Now, I think you really came here tonight to show me your portfolio.” She held out a hand, and Meghan reluctantly placed the folder in it.  She flipped through, humming to herself, showing Ms. Johnson some of the pieces, until she came to the end and Meghan was holding her breath. “You certainly have talent, Meghan, and patience. The first is useless without the second.”

Meghan let her breath go. “Thank you, Mrs. Green.”

Ms. Johnson pursed her lips. “I’d like to let you in, Meghan, on a probationary basis.”

“What does that mean?” Finn asked, protectiveness creeping into his voice.

She turned to him, meeting his eyes. “We would all sign a contract that Meghan would maintain a certain level of grades in all of her classes in her first semester in order to continue. This type of contract actually exists with all of the students, but it’s normally reviewed on a yearly basis.”

Poe and Finn looked at Meghan to see what she was feeling, and she smiled at them, telling them without words that she was doing just fine. “I think that sounds fair.  If I do well in the first semester, do I get to go on a normal contract?”

“That decision would be finalized at the review meeting, but normally that’s what happens, yes,” Ms. Johnson replied.

The indication that Meghan was not the first person they had done this with helped ease the tension in Finn’s mind. Everyone stood, and Mrs. Green handed Meghan back her portfolio. “I look forward to seeing what you can do in class, Meghan,” she said, smiling.

“I want to learn everything I can,” Meghan said sincerely.

On the drive back to the farm, Meghan couldn’t stop talking about the school’s campus and facilities, and what she wanted to do.  They’d given her registration paperwork and she kept calling out classes from the course catalog that she wanted to take. Finn glanced at Poe and grinned, clasping his hand across the front seat and kissing the knuckles.  At home, they walked to the main house to pick up Amelia from Leia and Anne.  They were all in the kitchen doing dishes, and Amelia ran to hug everyone as soon as she saw them.

Anne put down her drying towel and Leia turned off the water. “So?” Anne said expectantly.

“They're letting me in!” Meghan burst out, running into Anne’s and Leia’s arms.  

When she was released, Leia walked over to the freezer and pulled out a tub of Oreo ice cream. “Well, Amelia’s first day on a horse and Meghan’s going to her dream school, I’d say this is a cause for celebration.”

Minutes later, as everyone was happily digging into their ice cream around the kitchen table, Poe sat back, looking extremely satisfied. Finn leaned over to whisper, “What’s up?”

Poe looked him in the eye. “I’m happy with our choices.”  He sat up, brushing a kiss across Finn’s lips, then resting his forehead on Finn’s.

“Me too, love, me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm headed into parent-teacher conferences so I thought I'd just OD you all on cute this weekend and then leave you high and dry for a week.
> 
> Comments and Kudos are always awesome. I'm @animalasaysrauer on tumblr and I always like getting messages there too!


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